"As technology is getting more sophisticated, so are criminals."
Drivers are being advised to pick up an Amazon gadget that prevents keyless car thefts.
This comes as England and Wales’ worst car theft hotspots have been revealed.
DVLA data shows that thefts have soared, reaching an all-time high in 2023.
Experts from CarMats have now ranked the areas of England and Wales that saw the highest theft rates that year.
Overall, the West Midlands was the worst region, taking up five of the top 10 spots.
Solihull was top, with a rate of 0.45%.
Manchester and Birmingham also featured on the list while London was broken down into boroughs.
Surprisingly, only one area of the capital made the list, that being Ilford with a theft rate of 0.34%.
Based on the top 10, the far North and Wales performed the best, with no representation in the table.
The South West only appeared once – Bristol in 10th.
The worst car theft hotspots are:
- Solihull: 0.45%
- Birmingham: 0.37%
- Slough: 0.36%
- Wolverhampton: 0.36%
- Ilford: 0.34%
- Harlow: 0.33%
- Sutton Coldfield: 0.33%
- Manchester: 0.32%
- Coventry: 0.32%
- Bristol: 0.29%
Fortunately, there are some ways to protect your car from thieves.
Avoid leaving anything on display when parking your car, even if it is for a short time.
Items like wallets, phones, sat navs and cash can all attract attention.
It is also recommended to invest in extra security measures to deter thieves from making off with your car.
Buying a steering lock or visible alarm can be an effective way to put criminals off while CCTV cameras in your garage or driveway can provide vital evidence to cops if your car is pinched.
A handy gadget that can help prevent keyless car thefts is also advised.
A spokesperson for CarMats said:
“As technology is getting more sophisticated, so are criminals.
“Keyless car theft is still on the rise, as thieves have advanced their approach and are using relay devices to unlock cars and override security systems.”
More car manufacturers are switching to ‘keyless’ models, where a fob is used to unlock a car and switch on the engine.
But this has meant thieves are using relay devices to breach keyless cars.
A relay device intercepts a signal from your key fob and recreates it, as good as handing the keys over yourself.
And with the increase of keyless ignition systems, they won’t even have to hotwire the vehicle to drive it away.
You can protect against this by picking up a Faraday pouch from Amazon to store your keys in.
The simple key cover blocks signals being emitted by your keys, so they can’t be picked up when they aren’t in use.
Faraday pouches are available on Amazon for less than £8.
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